A Pune court on Friday(Jana granted bail to Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, in a defamation case filed against him for allegedly making defamatory remarks about Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
The court, presided over by special judge Amol Shinde, granted bail to Gandhi on a surety bond of Rs 25,000. Congress leader Mohan Joshi stood as surety. Gandhi appeared before the court via video conferencing, complying with a prior order for his personal appearance.
The case was initiated by Savarkar’s grandnephew, Satyaki Savarkar, who filed a complaint in a magistrate court alleging that Gandhi defamed Savarkar during a speech in London on March 5, 2023. The case was later transferred to the MP/MLA court.
During earlier hearings, Gandhi was absent, citing election campaigns and the Winter Session of Parliament. His lawyer Milind Pawar had sought exemption, arguing Gandhi’s responsibilities as Leader of Opposition. The court had allowed the exemption but ordered him to appear on January 10.
Satyaki’s lawyer, Sangram Kolhatkar, had sought a non-bailable warrant against Gandhi for intentional non-appearance under IPC Section 174. However, the court permitted Gandhi to join the proceedings via video conferencing.